Stars walk the red carpet for Philly premiere of du Pont film 'Foxcatcher'

JOHN DU PONT is a notorious name for longtime residents of the Philadelphia area who remember him killing Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz in 1996 at du Pont's Newtown Square compound.

But neither director Bennett Miller, nor actor Anthony Michael Hall had heard of the case before starting work on the movie "Foxcatcher." In fact, Miller only heard about it after a stranger handed him an envelope full of clips about the story at an event.

The film held its Philadelphia premiere at the Prince Music Theater last night, where the likes of Greater Philadelphia Film Office's Sharon Pinkenson, negotiator on the du Pont case Anthony Paparo, Kal Rudman and Cozen O'Connor's Justin Wineburgh walked the red carpet.

Starring Steve Carell as the eccentric millionaire du Pont and Channing Tatum as Schultz's brother Mark, "Foxcatcher" has gained Oscar buzz since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in May. It hits Philadelphia theaters on Nov. 21.

"It's really a turn for [the normally comedic] Carell," Hall said, "I think his fans will really be surprised." Hall was accompanied by new fiancee Lucia Oskerova, a Slovakian-born model and actress in what appears to be their first public appearance as a betrothed couple. Hall told me he and Oskerova toured Center City and historical sites ("It was an honor to see how this country was built," he said.)

Nancy Schultz, Dave's widow, walked the red carpet with her own fiance, Scott Vitangeli. She told me she was on the set regularly and Sienna Miller ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra") and Mark Ruffalo ("The Avengers"), who portrays her and her late husband respectively, would often ask her for advice. "I saw it unfold as they worked on their relationship . . . Sometimes, they would go back and reshoot based on the hints and innuendo I would provide."

Bennett Miller, who has made a name for himself bringing true stories to the big screen, such as "Capote" and "Moneyball," said the story caught his attention as soon as he read those old clips.

"From the moment I read the basics about it, I couldn't get it out of my mind," Miller said, who has already won the best director award at Cannes for "Foxcatcher." "The oddity of one of the wealthiest men in America having a wrestling team live on his estate seemed sort of funny, but what happened was terrible."

That's one of the reasons it was important to keep Nancy on set: "She's a really potent reminder that this happened, that this was real."

Mo'ne Davis and the Taney Dragons will kick off the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City this year, airing on NBC on from 9 a.m. to noon Thanksgiving Day.

Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie, of "Today," will anchor the broadcast, with appearances by many, including Miss America Nia Sanchez, former Flyer John LeClair, "All About that Bass" singer Meghan Trainor and, most importantly, the Muppets.

Brotherly Love, the boy band that serenaded President Obama at Sunday's Tom Wolf rally at Temple University, has the backing of Will Smith's best friend, Charlie Mack, who discovered the band at a talented teen competition two years ago. Mack has a pretty good track record. He also discovered Boyz II Men.

Part-time Media resident and comedian Wanda Sykes will host this year's Marian Anderson Awards, honoring the one and only Jon Bon Jovi. R&B chanteuse Estelle, the multi-genre band Jon Batiste and Stay Human and an accoustic set from the All-American Rejects will provide entertainment. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Sister Mary Scullion (who works with Bon Jovi at Project H.O.M.E.) will say nice things about the Jersey rocker.

The Marian Anderson Gala and concert takes place Nov. 18 at the Kimmel Center. For tickets, go to marianandersonaward.org.

National ESPN morning hosts Mike (Greenberg) and Mike (Golic) will take their show on the road to Xfinity Live! (1100 Pattison Ave.) Monday from 6 to 10 a.m., broadcasting live from 97.5 the Fanatic. Sal Paolantonio will join in the beginning of the 8 a.m. hour.

* The Miami Heat's Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade dined at Buddakan (325 Chestnut St.) on Friday night before defeating the Sixers 114 to 96 on Saturday. They didn't try that hard, Halloween costume-wise, though. I heard the two superstars dined in Miami Heat regalia.

* "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che were in Philly yesterday doing press for their long-running show when they took a break to check out the Mutter Museum. Jost tweeted that it was "colon-tastic!"

* While in town for Power 99's Powerhouse concert, Trey Songz and Ne-Yo opted to stay at the Hotel Palomar (117 S. 17th St.).

* "Scandal" star Josh Malina walked around Center City yesterday, with most onlookers none the wiser. My spy saw him walking near the Bellevue on Broad Street before speaking at the Jewish Federation's Main Event Sunday night at the Loews.

On Twitter: @PhillyGossipDN

Online: ph.ly/DNGossip